Badgered Cameron looking to reclaim political high ground

“Shame on you! Shame on you!” the protesters bellow at each delegate – and journalist – who has the gall to step past the G4S security guards and enter the Conservative Party conference.

These are not trade unionists angry at the loss of public sector jobs; nor are they CND-types demanding that Trident be abandoned.

No, these are animal rights protesters, and the object of their own particular brand of fury is the Government’s decision to proceed with a badger cull, in an effort to protect the nation’s cattle from the spread of bovine TB.

“That’s not a badger – that’s a scapegoat!” one banner reads, as the protesters hurl abuse at all who pass.

But inside the ring of steel, sitting at a long table in his grand hotel suite on the 22nd floor of the conference centre, David Cameron does not give the impression of a man under siege.

The Prime Minister has had a difficult six months, a series of high-profile Budget U-turns having been followed by his own Chief Whip almost getting arrested for abusing a police officer and then last week’s fiasco over the West Coast rail franchise.

His Government’s reputation for competence has been dented; its determination to stick with unpopular policies called into question. But over badgers, at least, the Prime Minister is not for turning.

“I am convinced it’s the right policy,” he said. “For years this issue has been dodged and ducked, and the fact is you’ve got over 25,000 cattle being destroyed every year (by bovine TB).

“The cost is running to £90m a year – we’re heading to spend £1bn over a decade if we don’t grip this.”

In a riposte to the noisy mob outside his window, Mr Cameron added: “I believe this is actually the right policy for healthy badgers as well as for healthy cattle. It’s no good having badgers endlessly catching and dying of TB as well.” The Prime Minister is determined to reclaim the initiative this week after watching two relatively successful conferences for the leaders of the two other main parties.

Earlier in the day he moved to dismiss Nick Clegg’s demands for a “mansion tax” on expensive properties and cuts in benefits for wealthy pensioners, while 
signalled the coalition would be targeting the rich with new 
measures to help balance the books.

Now, it seems, he is equally unimpressed with Liberal Democrat demands that the Treasury ditch its plans to introduce local pay deals into the public sector.

“Flexibility in pay, and allowing institutions to have flexibility in paying and recruiting and retaining people, is where we should be looking,” he said.

The Treasury’s stated aim, however, is to bring public sector pay in low-wage areas such as Yorkshire to the same level as equivalent posts in the private sector.

There are fears that the only way of closing the gap would be to hold down public sector wages for years – so draining money out of already-struggling local economies. Mr Cameron is keen, however, to couch the policy in entirely different language – but he is unequivocal in his support.

“It’s nothing to do with regions,” he insisted. “It’s a general point about should you try and encourage institutions throughout the public sector to have greater flexibility about pay locally? I think you should.”

The issue is bound to rumble on, with many of the Conservatives’ own MPs in the North of England deeply opposed to the plan.

Mr Cameron denies any suggestion his party is becoming “toxic” in the North, however – “I don’t accept the premise” – and insists the difficult decision the Government is making is bound to make them unpopular in some quarters.

He does, however, accept the Tory brand took a hit with the recent Andrew Mitchell affair.

“Of course it was damaging,” he said. “That’s why it was right he apologised. It must never happen again.

“But I think the matter can be allowed to rest, because he has apologised and the police have said they accept the (apology) and they don’t want to take it further.”

And despite the ongoing double-dip recession, he insists the long-called for rebalancing of the economy is slowly taking place – and that the North will reap the benefits as much as anywhere else.

“If you look at what is happening with the economy, it is rebalancing,” he said. “We’ve lost jobs in the public sector, which was always going to happen, but a million extra jobs have been created in the private sector. And a lot of those extra jobs are in various regions of the country – not just in London and the South.”

Specifically, he points to developments such as the proposed Siemens wind turbine factory in Hull, revealing he has spoken to the firm’s directors directly “on a couple of occasions” about the project.

“I’m very enthusiastic about this investment,” he said. “I think it’s very important for Hull and Humberside as an area can have a real expertise in renewable energy – a gateway to the North Sea.”